Given Up

Chapter 38

My phone buzzed in my pocket as I walked along the main road.

Scott: Hey Bud, where are you?
Ky: On my way home.
Scott: How far away are you?
Ky: Be home in 5.

Weird. It was Thursday afternoon and Scott's shift wasn't meant to finish until gone 7pm.

I was walking back from Cassie's house, the late afternoon sun making my eyes water. She was doing much better but on strict bed rest. I wasn't sure if that was at the insistence of the Doctors or her Dad. I had only stayed a short while when I dropped off her homework. Mr Evans gave me a cool reception so I guess he was still suspicious of me. I guess I wouldn't be invited to dinner any time soon. I left Cassie my answers to our Maths and Science homework so she wouldn't have to do too much. I didn't want her stressing over undone homework. I didn't want her stressing over anything. I still can't believe that she did what she did. Heat flashed through my face. I should have known something wasn't right; I should have been more attentive.

I kicked out at a stone in front of me as I turned the corner onto Pryor Place. I made it to the front door and opened up.

"Hey, I am back," I called out into the house.

"We're in here." I heard Scott's voice from the living room.

I followed his voice back there, opening the door to see him and Kate sitting opposite one another, but both looking at me.  Kate's eyes were red and her face pale; even Scott looked nervous. It can't be Cassie as I just saw her. Oh shit, they weren't splitting up again were they? I am not sure I can take any more drama for one week.

"Alright?" I ventured, but I could tell it was anything but.

"Can you come and sit down?" Kate's voice was small but it read like danger.

"What is going on?" I asked, not moving.

"Please just come and sit down Ky." Scott's voice was as tense as I have ever heard it. Oh Lord, they must be breaking up.

I sat next to Kate and she immediately grabbed my hand.

"Um, I am not quite sure how to say this..." Kate's voice trailed off. Tears were forming in her eyes. She looked to Scott for help. He leant forward and put his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm afraid that today I received some bad news. Your friend Diego has sadly died."

All the sounds of the room that I had been aware of before suddenly fell away. I could only hear the increasing beat of my own heart.

"What?" There must be a mistake.

Scott knelt in front of me and took my other hand.

"He died."

I shook my head at him, as if he would just make something like this up.

"No. That can't be...How? How did he die? What happened?"

Had a bad drug deal gone wrong? Had he mouthed off to the wrong person?

He and Kate shared a look.

"Tell me."

"We won't know for sure til after the autopsy. He had been beaten up a bit, but it looks like the cause of death was accidental."

"What kind of accident?"

They looked at each other again.

"Just tell me, for God's sake."

He cleared his throat and looked at Kate, she nodded slightly at him and gripped my hand tighter.

"It looks like suffocation during....sex. The other person involved has been arrested."

I saw them then: the bruises on his neck, his wrists, on more than one occasion. "Michael likes it rough."

I jumped up from between them and bolted to the kitchen sink, throwing my guts up into it. I was aware of them both next to me, rubbing my back and holding me gently as I was sick for what felt like an age. Once I had stopped, they led me back to the couch; Kate bringing water that I couldn't stomach.

"Lie down for a bit. This is such a shock."

I shook my head, I couldn't stay still. I pushed the offered water away and stood up, gripping my hair with my hands.

"It was his foster father, wasn't it?" I knew the answer but I had to be sure.

Scott's eyes widened. "You knew he was being abused?"

"He wouldn't tell anyone else about it. I told him to tell someone, so he would be moved, but he said he was...used to it." The last three words came out of my mouth on a rush of breath.

Kate whispered 'oh God': her hand covering her mouth.

"Fucking hell," murmured Scott, rubbing his hand over his face.

Pain spread through my chest, my breath short. "I should have made him listen to me. I couldn't help him."

"It is so, so terrible what he has been through, what happened, but it wasn't your...responsibility." Kate reached for my hand but I stepped away.

I looked at her. She was crazy.

"I live with a fucking Copper!" My voice rose as I thrust my hand out towards Scott. "If I had just told him, this would never have happened."

She stood up then and grabbed onto my hands: tears were on her cheeks.

"You gave him someone to talk about it to. I am sure it helped him."

Helped him? He was dead. If I hadn't gotten into a fight with him, Scott might never have figured out that he supplied Cassie. He wouldn't have been arrested and then Michael wouldn't have been angry and...
I pulled my hands from her roughly.

"You don't know what you are talking about."

I moved towards the door and Scott's hand stopped me.

"Let me go Scott."

"Stay with us Kyle. We can look after you."

I struggled against his grip: desperate to get out of this tiny space.

"No one can look after anyone."

His grip loosened a bit and I ran out of the room and out of the house.